I bought Hotel Chocolat's Velvetiser and have no regrets

And that's why I decided to splash the cash on Hotel Chocolat's Velvetiser.

I've always been slightly jealous of coffee drinkers who can enjoy swanky coffee-making machines, so when I saw posts on social media and adverts about the chocolatier's velvetiser I just had to get my hands on it.

I could've bought the Aldi dupe, but because I make hot chocolate quite often, I figured buying the real deal would be worth it.

I paid £82 for the gadget from John Lewis thanks to a discount I have as a relative works at the shop, but it retails at £110 and comes with two ceramic cups and 10 hot chocolate pouches in different flavours.

Do I have any regrets - nope! And here's why if you buy one too, you won't have any either.

Ordering

I decided to order mine from John Lewis and the shop didn't have any in-stock online, but there were some available in-store at the Westgate Centre in Oxford.

So I reserved one and picked it up a couple days later, although I could have had it delivered.

Unboxing

I don't know about you, but I appreciate the way something is packaged and as soon as I collected the Velvetiser, the boxes it came in screamed luxury.

The outer box had a convenient handle which made it easy to carry home  Sleek packaging

I got the copper version, but you can also get it in white and grey.

When I took the machine out the box, my first thought was that it looked a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be - but that's not a bad thing.

It isn't heavy but feels really sturdy and you can get a good grip on the handle.

The 10 pouches of different chocolate flavours include: Salted Caramel, Hazelnut Praline, Orange, Mint, Ginger, Chilli, Vanilla White, Milky, Classic and Dark.

Again, the box with them inside looks so fancy.

The velvetiser comes with a selection of 10 different flavoured chocolate pouches

The two ceramic cups are cute and after moving into a new flat recently, they're actually much-needed!

Cleaning it

Before using it, you're actually instructed to clean it first - and the best thing is that the machine can clean itself! 

I didn't realise this before I bought it so I was absolutely blown away.

I poured water up to the max mark and then put two drops of washing-up liquid in. Then I put the lid on and clicked the button and away it went.

After two minutes the light flashed off and I rinsed the water out - which by the way was so frothy I knew that the hot chocolate I was about to make would not disappoint.

Then I was ready to get started with making my 'barista-style' hot chocolate.

Making the hot chocolate

I poured whole milk (the best for luxurious hot chocolates in my opinion!) to the max mark and then added the Classic chocolate flakes.

I put the lid on - which has a rubber seal to make sure no milk escapes - and clicked the button.

The machine quickly whirred to life making a whirlpool and was very quiet - which I expected given the price tag!

Two minutes later the magic stopped and it was time to pour the silky, smooth drink into my ceramic cup.

The hot chocolate is made

I added the rest of the chocolate flakes on top before taking a sip and I was more than impressed.

The Taste

The hot chocolate in its frothy glory is divine. It's just like drinking a hot chocolate that had been made by a barista - but even better because it is made using real chocolate, not powder.

The velvety hot chocolate in the ceramic cup

And in my opinion, the drink isn't too rich - it's just right. 

The velvetiser not only frothed and blended the concoction but made the drink to the perfect temperature.

There's nothing worse than scorching your tongue after taking a sip of a really hot drink.

My Verdict

If you're a real, true hot chocolate lover - then this is the gadget you need in your kitchen. It's a complete game-changer.

The hot chocolate is delicious

What I love the most is the fact that it cuts out the hassle of warming up milk in the microwave or on the stove and using a teaspoon to try and mix and dissolve all the chocolate powder.

Hotel Chocolat's chocolate flakes take the drink to the next level and I can't wait to try all of the other flavours. The good thing as well is that I can use hot chocolate powder if I want, instead of the flakes.

The machine really does live up to it's name.

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